Ghost Dog
(2000)

GHOST DOG is an amusing-if-overlong mob revenge tale that's also
part Chicken Soup For the Samurai Soul, complete with intermittent
excerpts from an 18th Century warrior text. (Oddly, the advice to
"wipe on, wipe off" is not included.) Forrest Whitaker plays the
title character-- an urban assassin in the employ of a mobster who
once saved his life. His dirty deeds are dependable, but when a
hit is witnessed by an unexpected witness, the boss gives the or-
der that a certain dog be put to sleep. Mayhem ensues, along with
several fitfully funny scenes of aging, old-school wise guys trying
to track the shadowy samurai. Very droll. With Isaach de Bankole
and Camille Winbush. The goodfellas include John Tormey, Cliff
Gorman, and ol' Henry Silva, who doesn't appear to have aged in
twenty years. He must've beaten up Dick Clark for the formula.
Jim Jarmusch both writes and directs. (Rated "R"/116 min.)
Grade: B-
Copyright 2000 Michael J. Legeros
Movie Hell is a trademark of Michael J. Legeros